Blitz wrote:I like your breakfast a lot. Protein in the morning is a very good thing.

I think you've made a mistake...you put this under snacks: HUGE Croissant with Jam - 500kcal...I think that maybe it should be listed as a second lunch or something! Learn from the experience don't waste it. Key yourself with questions of this type:

Why did it happen?What were the things I was telling myself to make it ok?What are the things I should have told myself to make it not ok?How can I avoid this kind of situation in the future?What steps can I take next time something like this happens?What have I learnt from today's experience?

Work at that lifestyle and success will be yours! Kim

Hahahaha it was a lot like a lunch... Lunchtime came around and I was like... mmm.... still not really hungry.

Why did it happen? What were the things I was telling myself to make it ok?What are the things I should have told myself to make it not ok?How can I avoid this kind of situation in the future?What steps can I take next time something like this happens?What have I learnt from today's experience?

Haha I like that list, I think the main issue I have is with feeling like if I dont eat what everyone else is eating they will feel bad about not providing something I want to eat, or feel bad about their own choices etc. Which may seem like a stupid thing, but it's the main issue I had with being full on vegetarian! Everyone would feel bad because they forgot I was veggo or felt bad eating meat in front of me! It was not my intention and used to make me feel so bad!

I'm not sure if I'm posting here too much, but I've been wondering if there are really better ways of measuring your progress. I only have a little bit to go. At this point for me, I want to lose just enough weight for me to start seeing the impact of "toning". I really don't like this word, but it is what I want to do.

I am wondering if bodyfat % is a better method of measuring my progress. More so than my weight on the scales (which moves far too slowly when you are looking for minimal loses, leaves me feeling far too disheartened, and thus leading to my own inevitable self-sabotage), more so than the tape measure (which realistically can only keep moving so far once I hit a certain point) and more so than the mirror.

I still look at myself in the mirror and see myself as overweight; sometimes I just cannot fathom that I am in a healthy "average" weight range and still look like I am overweight. Obviously I'm not and don't look it at all, but I can't seem to get past that... I don't trust my own eyes. I know I've made progress since I was 16kgs heavier (I have lost what was just under a third of my current weight!), but I cannot see it! This is why I prefer the numbers!

I don't know if anyone else deals with this once warped self-perception once they have made it to the end, but if you have any wise words of wisdom I would love to hear it!

People aren't really concerned that much about what you eat...unless you make it a big deal. Most vegetarians I met I felt sorry for...that they put themselves out so much. My main concern is that they continue to get some protein into them. Most vegetarians don't (they deny themselves the most convenient source) - and this is an essential food for your body.

Looks can be so deceiving when it comes to judging weight. A few months after I reached my goal weight, my wife called me over. She had been sorting out some old photos. I looked at them - and was as shocked as she had been. They were of me just before I started to lose weight. I was enormous! Now I knew I was fat - but my head never allowed me to see how fat I was! Neither did my wife. Now viewing me as normal, 87 kilos lighter, we could see what was impossible for us to see back then. During my weight loss I had a photo taken of me when I had lost about 40 kilos. I was very proud at the time because everyone was noticing how much thinner I was. I look at that photo today and I can't see as much change as I was convinced at the time.

Towards the end of my journey, many friends were urging me to stop well before the goal I had set (in some cases as much as 20 kilos from goal!). Some of that was what was happening inside of their heads. Normal Kim to them was a much fatter person, so the new Kim was "wrong"...and looked too skinny. When I set my goal I was very conservative. I found the half way point of my range and went half above that again. Many people who successfully lose weight don't know when to stop...I didn't want to go there. After all I didn't want to end the journey anorexic!

What I didn't allow for was the loose skin that I was left with. These healthy range charts were for "normal" skinned people. There is 56% less of me than what I started with but I still had the skin of that man that was more than twice the size I was! I could never find out how much my loose skin weighed...and how that affected what my goal weight should be. In the end I stayed with my original goal because it had been so conservative; that I had enough "fat" in that number to cover me. After reaching goal I decided that staying in a 3 kilo range, 3 kilos above goal weight was best for me. That feels right for me and just keeps me in the healthy range of the charts.

With toning comes muscles - and muscles weigh more! That also will skewer what your normal weight should be. In the end, tread carefully. In this part of your journey your head hasn't caught up with reality. Nor has your friends. Just go with the expert recommendations for a while and gradually you will see what is best. My first rule of weight loss...listen to your body (not look - listen...how does it feel?)...do that and you will understand what is best for it.

I found people were telling me I looked way too skinny and "gaunt" once I hit 53kgs, despite the fact that I was never as skinny as the people telling me I was too skinny!! This is still well in the middle of the healthy range and it was very disheartening.

Big breakfast meeting at work again today! Think I've managed to salvage the rest of my day today though.

That gaunt look is basically the process of weight loss which is essentially stressing your body into shredding the pounds. In the maintenance stage your body gets more comfortable and re-arranges itself to a better state of affairs. I had that gaunt face, thin voice (which wasn't good considering my job) and a bone thin bottom. Nowadays my face is fuller, my voice stronger and I have a bottom that seats comfortably. The weight is the same so I must have thinned somewhere else (my fingers seem slenderer).

You might want to step up the exercise and eat a little more. You will find that more sustainable in the long run. Your body requires more intake than you are giving it. Starvation mode is not an efficient way to go. Exercise to burn off the stored fats also it will help you with toning.

Bang for buck. Foods like butter, mini hash browns and lite cottage cheese aren't filling enough for the amount of calories they give you. Think in terms of fruit and vegetables. They will give you a fuller feeling in your stomach for the same calorie outlay - and for longer. You need far more fibre, nearly half of your kcal consumption today came in liquid form (500kcal). While this gives you a full feeling quick unfortunately it will leave your stomach via your bladder quickly too. Eat smart and you will be able to sustain a healthy lifestyle for the long term.